Fuel economy and big is better in USA

[happy]

Hi guys
Please don't read me wrong but I just wanna get the story from the horse's mouth.

Outside US, many people (including moir) have the impression that US vehicle owners are not really conscious nor care too much about the fuel economy. Instead they like to go for bigger the better motors and engines.

The riders here (nc700) are kind of bucking that trend. What gives?

Do you feel or view that most US vehicular drivers are still the same gas guzzlers? Or is it because of a financial problem now that they will seriously look for fuel efficient vehicles?
i mean if fuel was dirt cheap (like 20years ago), would you care about fuel economy for your motorcycle?

I won't even talk about the environment impacts. That's another can of worms.

i look forward to some sensible discussions and not childish bashing.
Thanks.

 

[Fuzzy]

I bought gas yesterday for $2.92 per gallon, $0.77 per liter. What do you pay?

Plenty of freeways and long distances.

 

[Hmcp88]

Ya I have to agree with Fuzzy, fuel here isn't as bad priced as I hear it is over there where you are. I usually pay $3.20ish a gallon. That being said I do not have a car because I can not afford to drive 60+ miles a day at 20 mpg. Now the fact that I ride only with no car puts me at like .0001% of US population. Not to mention I believe motorcycle (esp with catalytic converters) are better for the environment than cars. That being said I did not ever fuelly nor care what my last bike (cbr1000rr) got mpg. It was what it was and I didn't even think about it, plus it had to take top tier gas. Now the not caring could be attributed to the fact I'm only 25 now, and at least here in the US you don't care about anything usually and think your invincible... Lol. Until you start to get a family and such when you realize things like this matter. Now that the NC has changed me I look at Fuelly every time I like a motorcycle. Not all of us are like that but must don't seem to care about putting $100 into a gas tank that would only last me a few days.. I work for Harley Davidson, which get 30ish mpg and watch these guys get out of 4 door extended cab hemi v8 trucks wondering how they can afford to drive the thing?! But as I said I'm a motorcycle only young guy, riding a bike that's considered slow here but gets 70 mpg. My age demographic shows I should be riding wheelies and doing burn outs everywhere on some liter bike! Instead I am trying to figure out how to get more luggage and wind protection on my bike, maybe I'm aging to quickly? We aren't all driving tanks to work here, just most lol.

 

[happy]

Fuel in Switzerland is around 1.85chf per liter or US$1.70 per litre?
It is about 30% more in EU countries, like Germany or Austria or Italy.

Besides, I am not talking about fuel economy or fuel prices.

My main question for this thread is:
Are US drivers / motorcyclists gas guzzlers (still)?

 

[dduelin]

Fuel in Switzerland is around 1.85chf per liter or US$1.70 per litre?
It is about 30% more in EU countries, like Germany or Austria or Italy.

Besides, I am not talking about fuel economy or fuel prices.

My main question for this thread is:
Are US drivers / motorcyclists gas guzzlers (still)?

You want an answer to fit your preconceived notion......... do you read your own posts? You already "know" US drivers are gas guzzlers and are just seeking bias confirmation. If you want a sensible discussion then some US citizens are going to give reasons why fuel economy isn't normally the first priority in choosing a vehicle. If you don't want a discussion than don't ask because it is likely to come up.

For me, I didn't buy the NC700X solely for fuel economy or for fuel economy at all. Motorcycles are toys for me and purely a recreational pursuit. My job gives me a car to drive so I can't ride a motorcycle to work if I wanted to. Instead, I wanted middleweight 650cc bike to replace an aging one that was going to have about the same performance and riding position. I rode the BMW 650 single & twins and Versys and V-Strom and was not happy with the choices. I am drawn to Honda products but Honda did not a bike in this category until the NC700X was introduced. The efficiencies built in the NC are a side benefit - I did not buy the NC for fuel economy but I was influenced by it and the fact it will be economical to operate over time (insurance, maintenance, tires).

 

[kjang]

san francisco bay area is HIGH on gas. About $3.90 a gallon or so right now.
When I go across our northern border to canada, oh my.... no wonder why they come down to buy gas.

I just like the looks and dct of the honda nc. Fuel mileage on the nc wasn't on my priority list. It just happens it gets good gas mileage which is a plus.
If it wasn't for the nc, I would of gotten the BMW f650/700gs, but of coarse no dct. What steered me away from BMW was there was NO dct option. They did had every option in the book, EXCEPT for the dct.

In terms of gas guzzlers, I have those too. I own a boat with at 225hp - 2 stroke on there. Even though its newer technology (etec, direct fuel injection), it still guzzels fuel. Pls a truck (F250 diesel which is a 7.3L turbo) to pull the beast. Since I been working so much, I haven't even gotten time to play with the boat as much. Maybe once or twice a month.



Ken

 

[StratTuner]

It's not the fuel cost that makes me enjoy good fuel economy, it's good engineering. In any country, there are engineering fans, and we appreciate a finely crafted engine no matter what flag we salute.

There may have been a time when one could charactrerize a single person by his nationality. If that were ever very accurate, I suspect it's not as telling as it once was. Thanks to the Internet, people associate based on Interest and less so on location.

 

[wickerman]

There may have been a time when one could charactrerize a single person by his nationality. If that were ever very accurate, I suspect it's not as telling as it once was. Thanks to the Internet, people associate based on Interest and less so on location.

Very true especially in the younger generation.

 

[SergeantChuck]

My main question for this thread is:
Are US drivers / motorcyclists gas guzzlers (still)?

I guess I would fall in the gas guzzler category. My primary vehicle is a jeep wrangler that has been highly modified (heavy) and I've added a supercharge. It gets around 13 -14 mpg in the city. My wife’s vehicle is a four door jeep wrangler. I guess that makes it pretty clear that I'm not concerned about fuel prices. The cost of fuel is not that bad right now but it didn't bother me when it was over $4 a gallon. I can't do anything to control the fuel prices and I love jeeps. They are terrible on gas. It's just a consequence you pay.

My purchase of the NCX was not intentional. I have mentioned that before. Went to the dealer with commuting on my mind but also wanted to look at a Repsol CBR1000RR. The dealer introduced me to the NCX when I said commute. Am I happy the NCX gets high 60's in MPG? Yes. Is that why I bought it? No. Primarily the storage and seated position is what won over.

I wouldn't say I don't care about how much fuel I use. I just care more about driving and riding something I like.

 

[Hollow Road Rider]

Go ahead, call me a guzzler.

I have never purchased any of the 7 bikes I have owned based on fuel economy. The fact that bikes get better mileage than my Tacoma or my Outback has nothing to do with which I choose to get around in/on for the day.

Biking is a pleasure for me. I have the luxury to choose one of two bikes to use for my work, the NC or the Gold Wing. For daily commuting in and around the city I choose the NC simply because I find it easier to maneuver in situations that require frequent parking and dealing with congested traffic.

Certainly I appreciate the fact that I get way better mileage on the NC, but it was not the reason behind the purchase. Simply put, I like the bike better than the others in similar size and price.

 

[OriginalRocket]

My first priority is fuel economy, second, it must be fast.

Never been a fan of Domestic cars until recently. They either went slow, and got ok MPG, or went fast and got Terrible numbers. This is the main failure I believe that has so many of my generation not even caring where the cars come from. Besides the imports are built right here in the USA anyways!

With Turbos FINALLY going mainstream I think I may be able to get past my VTEC addiction. Pretty sad that my car, designed 2 decades ago, is finally being passed in fuel economy and power, at the same time.

For most of my commuting I do it on a 2011 Honda PCX 125cc scooter. I'm 500 miles shy of 10,000 miles. That is a lot of seat time for something limited to below 60mph. Fuel economy varies between 90-100mph, weather, fuel quality, cruising speed, and luggage have great influence on that number.

The NC700X was bought to go long distance, as the PCX simply cannot go on interstates. It is a big plus to have the MPG the NC gets. But really pushed me to sign the papers is the DCT option. Without that I may have gone for one of the maxi scooters, those BMW 650's look real nice. I was extremely disappointed that the Honda Silverwing didn't get better fuel economy!

I am now looking at ways to extend my riding season. It is getting cold here, mornings are in the low 40's and with my current gear, not warm enough.

I just don't want to drive my premium fuel only 30mpg car.

 

[Chestnut]

I was thinking about this on my way to work this morning. Aside from obvious work trucks, 2/3-3/4 of vehicles were passenger cars. Most of the others were small trucks/SUVs, with mpg close to larger sedans. Rough estimates over a small sample area, and no telling how many of those cars have performance-oriented engines, but it would seem that at least in the San Diego area, no, we are not gas guzzlers.

 

[n30r3l0ad3d]

Happy, it's not that I don't personally care about fuel consumption but I am a gearhead. Most of what I own is "fast and loud" sorta speak. My jeep and my silverado both are gas guzzlers, getting around 8-14 mpg on a good day. But I've own 3 four cylinder cars where I live and they are just not practical in my area, especially in the winter. My modified CB750 gets around 43 mpg with bigger pistons. The problem with my CB750 however, is prone to overheating in traffic, and runs like crap when the temp dips down in the lower 40's. It is a race motor, designed for the 1/4 mile so it's not really practical on the street. With that said, in comes the NC. I bought it for the daily commute to work, fuel economy, price, and it's riding stance. And with my latest tank of gas on the NC, I went 140 miles on 2 gallons of gas.

 

[wickerman]

For most of my commuting I do it on a 2011 Honda PCX 125cc scooter. I'm 500 miles shy of 10,000 miles. That is a lot of seat time for something limited to below 60mph. Fuel economy varies between 90-100mph, weather, fuel quality, cruising speed, and luggage have great influence on that number.

I am looking a PCX150 for the wife.How has your experience with the pcx been?They are a great looking scoot with Honda quality for a really good price!

 

[LA_NC700X]

I always pay attention to MPG since I was a kid... I guess I got that from my dad... My father would alway buy a car with smaller engine like 1.2 instead of 1.5... Oh, I was born in Malaysia... After I grew up I move to USA and still almost everything that I bought whether it is a car or bike... I always look and see what kind of MPG it will get before I bought it...

I guess everyone is different... I like my engine to be fuel efficient...

 

[bamamate]

I was thinking about this on my way to work this morning. Aside from obvious work trucks, 2/3-3/4 of vehicles were passenger cars. Most of the others were small trucks/SUVs, with mpg close to larger sedans. Rough estimates over a small sample area, and no telling how many of those cars have performance-oriented engines, but it would seem that at least in the San Diego area, no, we are not gas guzzlers.

My parking lot at work is close to 50% Jeep/truck/large SUV. We do have a few Prius......

 

[SergeantChuck]

My parking lot at work is close to 50% Jeep/truck/large SUV. We do have a few Prius......

And they park right next to the gas guzzlers to prove a point.

 

[happy]

There there, I never said Gas-Guzzlers were bad or evil etc. (I sincerely meant it)
I just wanted to see if this is still true from YOU, the US folks.


And if you read carefully, I said we had the impression....I did not say it is purely black and white, and EVERY US driver and motorcyclists are like this.
Dammm... can we all read carefully before jumping the gun?


I do enjoy the Hummer 6.0 and such monsters etc. I will not, however, see myself owning one, coz it costs too much to top up the fuel.


Peace.

 

[tew47]

I drive a Hyundai Elantra a PT Crusier, a Chev Silveradio that only gets 8 mpg and it has sat there so long now it won't crank. There are a lot of small cars around here.

 

[buckshot]

I guess I'm in the guzzler category with my F250 diesel. I wanted to sell it this summer and get a little Subaru for the winter, but that didn't happen. I'm kinda looking forward to getting dumped on with some serious snow this year, I was missing a front axle shaft last winter and had to go really easy on most roads or I'd just spin the rear wheels. But now my 4x4 system is back in working order and I wanna play.